Sticks and Stones
by Miss Snazzy
Summary: Sailor Moon gets hit by a strange energy and starts to develop random cuts and bruises. Meanwhile, the other Sailor Scouts' criticism seems to be getting to her. Will Darien be the one to help her, or will he just make things worse?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, but I'm waiting for the day a black cat will come tell me I have magical powers.**

**Author's Note: Here's my very first attempt at Sailor Moon fanfiction. Although I grew up with the English dubbed version of the show, I've been reading a lot of Sailor Moon fanfiction these days, which typically uses the Japanese terms for things...so bare with me.**

ooo|o|ooo  
_**Sticks and Stones**_**  
**Chapter I  
ooo|o|ooo

Sailor Mars quickly dodged the youma, just barely escaping the energy the creature had shot at her. Channeling her power, she sent an attack in its direction.

"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"

She groaned at the decidedly lack of damage she had made to the creature, even with her perfect aim. Turning her glare onto Sailor Moon, she began to tear into their supposed leader who was too busy wailing to be of any help.

"Stop whining and _do_ _something!_" she hollered.

"Mars!"

Her gaze slid to Jupiter, happy to see that someone useful had finally showed up. If she had been left with only Serena, she knew the Negaverse would have probably taken over ages ago. She was a good fighter, but even she needed some assistance once in a while.

Upon seeing Jupiter's wide-eyed expression, likely from hearing her comment to Serena—the other Sailor Scouts were really too easy on her—she groaned.

"Oh come on. We all know she needs to grow up. She's supposed to be the defender of love and justice, not some cry baby," she rolled her eyes. The others might have been too nice to say anything about their leader's behavior, but she wasn't.

The breath whooshed out of her lungs as she suddenly felt another body barreling into her. After skidding painfully on the concrete a few feet, she leaned back on her elbows to glare at who had pushed her—Serena.

"What's the matter with you? Did you forget how to walk again?" she spat in agitation.

She frowned in confusion at seeing Sailor Moon lying where she was previously standing, staring at her in fear. It was only as a bright light began to illuminate Sailor Moon's features that she realized what was happening.

Sailor Mars stared in shock as the youma's attack struck Sailor Moon, sending a dark energy pulsing through her body. She watched her leader's eyes grow wide and her body bend back at an unnatural angle, before falling limply to the ground, face down.

"Sailor Moon!" several voices chorused.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that!" Sailor Jupiter growled.

"JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!"

To their astonishment, the youma simply smiled at them, unaffected, before fading away.

"That was strange. They never give up that easily," Jupiter remarked.

The Sailor Scouts ran over to their fallen leader, who was now being held in the embrace of Tuxedo Mask.

"Is she okay?" Sailor Mars asked, momentarily forgetting her mistrust of the masked hero.

"I'm not sure. She appears to just be unconscious, but…"Tuxedo Mask trailed off with concern. Something just wasn't right about all this.

The two scouts glanced behind them as they heard the sound of Sailor Mercury's hurried steps.

"Sorry I'm late, but I—" she cut herself off as she noticed Serena lying unconscious in Tuxedo Mask's arms. "What happened?"

"She got zapped by the youma," Sailor Mars explained.

"Only because she pushed you out of the way," Jupiter added absently.

Before Sailor Mars could speak more on the subject, they noticed their leader slowly gaining consciousness. Sailor Moon groaned.

"That's what you get for pulling a stunt like that."

"Mars! How can you say that?" Jupiter asked incredulously.

"What?" she asked defensively. "It was a stupid thing to do."

"Oh thanks. Don't try to sound too grateful," Sailor Moon mumbled.

"Why should I be grateful? If you had just done your job and dusted the thing, no one would've gotten hurt."

"She's kind of got a point there…" Jupiter admitted sheepishly.

Tuxedo Mask sighed at the Sailor Scouts' berating of their leader. Although placing herself in harm's way had been a terribly foolish thing to do, he couldn't fault Sailor Moon for her selfless actions.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly as he helped Sailor Moon sit up.

"Yeah, I think so," she murmured back.

His gaze slid over her form, searching for wounds. Apart from her fuku being a bit tattered from the blast, she appeared to be otherwise fine.

"How do you feel?"

"Just a bit tired," she replied with a small smile, touched by the concern clear in his voice and eyes.

"Well that's nothing new!" Jupiter laughed.

While the other scouts nodded their agreement, Sailor Moon reluctantly moved out of Tuxedo Mask's arms to stand up. Although her legs felt a bit numb, she managed to stay upright.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sailor Mercury asked, wondering if she should scan her with her computer.

"Mhm," she replied, offering a small smile.

…

Serena staggered into her room, momentarily clutching the wall for support. Luna wasn't there to watch her struggle and for that, she was grateful. Although she was known for whining over the littlest things, when something was truly wrong, she kept it to herself.

Luna and the other sailor scouts already thought of her as a weak crybaby and she didn't want to give more merit to their judgments.

Serena didn't understand why they had to be so hard on her all the time. She knew she was annoying sometimes and didn't do very well in school, but everyone has their faults. Why couldn't they accept her for who she is, like she has always done with them?

She never criticized Amy for being a bookworm or caring so much about her grades. She doesn't hold Raye's persistent tongue lashings or typically cold attitude against her. She also doesn't mention Lita's boy-crazy attitude—mostly because they're all a bit boy crazy—or how she's always comparing everyone to her ex-boyfriend.

Even now, she felt guilty for thinking these things. How can they be so openly mean to her? Don't they realize she has been trying to be a better leader? Were they that busy pointing out her faults to notice?

Serena sighed, cocooning herself within her blankets and falling into a restless sleep.

ooo|o|ooo

**So there's the first chapter. I'd love to get some feedback. =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Although I'm not really in the Christmas spirit this year—some lame people have kind of destroyed it—I figured I'd post this as a little gift. I hope you guys will like it. =)**

ooo|o|ooo  
_**Sticks and Stones**_  
Chapter 2  
ooo|o|ooo

Serena's eyes fluttered open to squint unhappily at the sunlight that had interrupted her sleep. She felt as if she had only gone to bed minutes ago. Rolling over to turn off her alarm, her hand stopped midair as she noticed two things.

First, that her alarm wasn't screaming at her and second, that the bright red numbers were flashing three minutes after two in the morning.

The power must have gone out!

Throwing her blankets off in a panic, she jumped out of bed and shrieked as her legs buckled.

_The battle last night must've taken more out of me than I thought_.

Reaching across the floor, she grabbed her uniform and quickly threw it on. She barely had her shoes on as she ran out the door, hopping for a moment to get them on fully. Of course, while being so busy making sure her shoes wouldn't fall off, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going.

"Oof." The noise slipped through Serena's lips as she collided with a firm chest that she knew well, despite how frequently she wished she didn't, before falling backwards.

"Watch where you're going, Meatball Head!"

Darien glared down at the blonde klutz with contempt, annoyed that she had made him spill his coffee all over his shirt. She was just lucky it had been cold, otherwise…

"Ouch." Serena flinched at a sudden pain in her arm. When she looked down, she found a brand new bruise on her arm, courtesy of the jerk she couldn't seem to escape bumping into, regardless of what time she left her house.

"It was _your_ fault, you jerk!" she shouted back at him, before quickly jumping up to resume her panicked running. "And you're making me even later!" she shrieked, taking off.

"Like that's possible," Darien replied to her back.

Serena flung open the door to her class a little too hastily, she realized, as Miss Haruna glared at her. She quickly found her seat, noting how many of her classmates were missing while waiting to be yelled at for being late again.

"Where is everyone?" she murmured to herself, curiously.

"As most of you know, there was a blackout last night, so the rest of the class should be trickling in anytime now," Miss Haruna announced to the class, having heard Serena's question.

"Oh good, so I won't get detention," Serena sighed in relief.

"No, Serena. You'll still be getting detention," Miss Haruna corrected her.

"I will?" she asked incredulously. "Everyone else, too?"

"No, just you."

"But that's not fair! Why me?"

"Because blackout or not, we all know you would've been late anyway. You couldn't be on time to save your life!" Miss Haruna laughed.

Serena flinched as the back of her leg brushed her chair. Looking down, she found another bruise that she must have gotten when she fell.

_That stupid jerk!_

She frowned as she looked back up front to tune back into a conversation that was clearly over now. Miss Haruna seemed resolved to carry on class as usual, despite only half of her students being present. Serena sighed, thinking about how irritated Raye and the others would be when she's late for another one of their meetings because she got detention.

Again.

Serena skidded to a halt in front of the arcade, peering in for a moment at the booth they usually sat at when discussing Sailor Scout business. She groaned as she noted their unhappy expressions and frequent glances at the clock. Stealing herself for some more yelling, she finally entered.

"Where have you been, Meatball Head?" Raye shouted at her the moment her gaze fell on the tardy blonde.

Serena shrieked as pain shot through her toe. Grabbing her foot, she glared at the floor, seeking out whatever she had stubbed her toe on. Before she could find the culprit, she was distracted by more yelling from Raye.

"Geez! What's the point of us even having these meetings if _you _are going to keep making us wait? Some of us have lives, you know!"

Serena sat down and opened her mouth to explain, but was cut off by Amy.

"Honestly Serena, Raye has a point. I could have gotten a lot of studying in," she commented.

"I didn't mean to be late!" Serena said defensively.

"Yeah, Meatball Head can't help being late. It's part of her physiology," Darien interjected from his spot at the front counter.

"Oh, who asked you!" she growled at him, unconsciously rubbing her elbow.

"Eh, I didn't really mind waiting. I got a burger out of it." Lita punctuated this by taking a big bite.

"Thanks Lita," Serena smiled. At least one of her friends wasn't angry with her.

"But it would be nice if you could be on time once in awhile," Lita added.

"You too?" Serena groaned. Wasn't anyone on her side?

She glared under the table at her foot. Some of her other toes were starting to hurt too.

Even the floors were against her!

"What'd you expect? You're always making us wait!" Raye spoke through gritted teeth.

"Look, it wasn't my fault. I had detention—"

"What's new?"

"Shut up, you jerk!" Serena waited to see if he was going to interrupt again before continuing. "I had detention for being late this morning—"

"And how _isn't_ that _your_ fault?" Raye asked dryly.

"I didn't mean to be late! My alarm didn't go off because the power went out last night," she finally explained.

Raye rolled her eyes, tired of Serena's excuses.

"Actually, that's part of what I wanted to discuss today," Amy whispered. "Most of the city experienced blackouts last night around—"

"2:03," Serena interjected absently.

They turned to stare at her disbelievingly, before checking with Amy, who slowly nodded in agreement.

"How did you know that?" Lita asked curiously.

"Well, my alarm was blinking 2:03 when I woke up, so I figured that was when it happened," she answered simply, snagging some of Lita's fries. She managed to grab two before her hand was swatted away.

"Yes, well…" Amy replied, unsure how to continue after that.

"Do you think the Negaverse was behind it?" Lita asked.

"There doesn't seem to be any data to suggest that, but I wouldn't rule them out."

Serena slowly began to tune them out, as they were only speculating at the moment. If she had to guess, she'd say the Negaverse was responsible for the blackouts, just because they were always behind the strange things that happened in her life. Sometimes she wondered whether the Sailor Scouts were here because the Negaverse's presence, or if it was actually the opposite.

"_Serena_! Are you listening?" Raye demanded loudly, startling the blonde.

She looked around the table, noting her friends' expectant gazes. Had they asked her a question?

"No?" she answered honestly, although it came out as a question. She was sure they were still discussing the blackouts.

Serena watched as Raye's face became red with anger and decided to escape her wrath.

"Uhh…I'll be right back!" she said, hastily leaving the table to make her way to Andrew.

"_Ohhh! That Meatball Head!_ Doesn't she think about anything else?" Raye bit out, making a pointed glance at Serena's position at the front counter.

"Hey!" Serena squeaked as she felt a finger jab into her side.

When she turned to glare at the culprit, she found Darien staring bemusedly back at her.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" she yelled.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!"

Darien opened his mouth to holler back at her, but thought better of it. Instead, he looked her up and down with such a slow and calculating stare that Serena couldn't restrain a blush.

Words escaped her as he slowly leaned forward, his lips stopping dangerously close to her ear.

"I wouldn't touch you with a hundred-foot pole," he whispered silkily.

Serena barely held in a whimper as she felt another sharp pain in her side, much worse than the first one.

"_Ouch!_ _That really hurt, you jerk!_" she screamed at him as she stomped on his foot in retaliation.

Darien cursed loudly, drawing the attention of several people in the arcade. Once they saw who it was, they turned back to their own tables in disinterest. They were used to the handsome man's odd behavior when the blonde was around.

With one hand closed around his foot and the other clenching tightly to his chair, Darien had to restrain himself from using his Tuxedo Mask strength to deck the girl. Although he usually had a pretty high tolerance for pain, Serena's foot had really done some damage.

_Memo to self—stay away from Meatball Head during any function that might involve dancing_.

Not that he would want to be near her in the absence of dancing… If this encounter proved anything, it was that she is crazed.

Seeing Darien's expression, Serena experienced a flicker of guilt before that was quickly squashed by an echo of the pain in her side.

"What the hell was that for?" he glared at her.

"That's for jabbing your bony finger in my side!"

"I didn't touch you." He looked at her like she was insane.

Her eyes narrowed. "I know you did. I'm not stupid."

"If the dunce cap fits…" he murmured, dryly. Now that the pain had somewhat subsided, he was slipping back into his usual cocky and sarcastic persona.

"Shut up!" she growled out. She may not get good grades in school, but she knew he poked her. She had _felt_ it.

Before he could throw any more insults her way, she was stomping out the door.

"Where'd Serena go?" Andrew asked as he returned to the counter.

"She left." Darien nodded toward the door, where a furious blonde could still be seen.

"Huh. She forgot her shake," Andrew noted in surprise. His gaze flitted back to Darien, noticing his foul mood. "So what was all the yelling about this time?"

"Meatball Head accused me of poking her." Darien rolled his eyes.

"Well, did you?"

"No," he glared at his friend for suggesting he had.

"That's strange…" Andrew's voice trailed off as his eyes began to move across the arcade, looking for phantom pokers.

"She's a nutcase," Darien supplied easily.

Serena was still fuming when she made it home and slammed her front door with a little more force than necessary. As the harsh sound echoed through the silent house, her irritation only grew.

_Why do I let him get to me?_

Realizing she would never get to sleep while being so wired up, she decided to run herself a bath. Once the tub was filled with gloriously warm water and a generous amount of bubbles, she stripped off her clothes. She paused as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Several colorful bruises dotted her pale skin, along with what looked like a welt on her side—the side Darien had been jabbing his finger into.

"Wow," she breathed. "He must've been packing a lot of force in that finger."

Allowing her fingers to drift lightly over the wound, she winced as the brief contact sent pain shooting through her side. To hurt her like this, he would've had to have been trying. _Hard_.

"He must really hate me…" she whispered in horrified amazement.

Although she fought with him all the time and _really_ didn't like the guy, she didn't wish him any real harm. Now, it was clear that the feeling was one-sided.

Sighing, she shook her head at herself in disappointment and slipped into the tub. The hot water both soothed and made her body ache. All of her minor injuries seemed to pulse unpleasantly, regardless of the bath's supposedly calming effects.

Still, as she soaked, her annoyance at Darien drained away. Maybe she was reading too much into it. The guy was a jerk, after all.

After she had finally stepped out and changed into her pajamas, her head barely hit her pillow before she was fast asleep.

ooo|o|ooo


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I apologize for the delay. This chapter would've been posted much sooner, but I decided to move what I had written to Chapter 4... On the bright side, maybe this means I'll be posting the next chapter a lot sooner. **

ooo|o|ooo  
_**Sticks and Stones**_  
Chapter 3  
ooo|o|ooo

Serena sat up quickly, sucking in a shallow breath. Although she couldn't really remember most of her nightmare, she could recall the feeling of what seemed to be many small weights pressing down on her, their combined pressure making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

For several minutes, she remained that way, almost appearing stoic apart from the rapid movement of her chest, which was still desperately trying to drag in air. Her hands clutched her sheets desperately to suppress the urge to hold them to her chest.

Once she had a semblance of control over her breathing, her previously unseeing eyes shifted to her alarm clock. The time flashed 2:03 at her, despite her having fixed it before falling asleep after her bath. A peek out the window showed the city barely reflecting the glow of morning. She sighed in relief, realizing she hadn't woken up late again.

Her mother was volunteering in some sort of fundraiser and had been practically living at the place it was meant to be held, busy preparing. The same was true of her father, except instead of doing volunteer work, he was spending most of his days and nights working hard at his office, hoping to get a promotion to a new position that had recently opened up. Finally, her brother Sammy had been staying the night at one of his friends' houses, working on finishing a school project.

Everyone in her family had something going on and without them here to wake her up, she had to depend on her alarm clock.

"Why do the blackouts have to happen now?" she inquired of her empty room.

Even Luna was gone, busy helping Raye with something. She didn't know what the Sailor Scout of Mars could possibly need help with, especially since she was typically a very independent person, but she figured she couldn't have Luna's guidance all the time. She was the guardian of _all_ the Sailor Scouts, after all.

"And maybe she'll yell at her for a change." Serena smiled slightly to herself.

It would be nice to know that she wasn't the only one screwing up.

Sighing, Serena slipped out of bed, starting to prepare for the day more slowly than she could ever remember. Since she was typically running very late, it was strange to do her morning routine at a normal pace. Usually if she had woken up this early—she knew it had to be at least an hour before she needed to get up—she would just go back to sleep. Yet, she just couldn't bring herself to stay in bed today. Not after that nightmare.

Besides, without a functioning alarm clock, she knew she would probably be late again. After her bath last night, she had sort of felt almost compelled to try to improve herself. In fact, maybe waking up this early could be a sign.

With a slight bounce to her step, Serena made it to her class in record time. Miss Haruna actually did a double-take when she noticed her presence. Her mouth opened in surprise, but soon the rest of the students were filing in, so she didn't comment.

The rest of the day went much the same way, with Serena putting in the kind of effort that left Miss Haruna and her classmates astonished. Their shock was kind of insulting, but she tried not to let it bother her. After all, this wasn't about them.

It seemed a shame that the scouts didn't have a meeting scheduled for the day because she would have probably made it there before Amy, since she generally took her time leaving school. Even Raye would have arrived after her because of her duties at the temple.

Despite the absence of her friends—Amy had volunteered herself as a tutor, Raye had some chores to do, and Lita wanted to try a few new recipes—Serena still found herself standing in front of Andrew's counter.

"Hi, Andrew," she smiled brightly.

"Hey, Serena. You seem to be in an awfully good mood," he noted, returning her smile.

"I didn't get detention today," she informed him.

"That's great!"

Serena blushed a little at how proud he looked over her accomplishment.

"Serena evading detention? Is the world ending?" Darien asked from a few seats away.

She had noticed him when she walked in, but hoped that if she ignored him, he would return the favor. Apparently, he had other ideas.

"Say what you want, but even _you_ can't ruin my good mood," she grinned back, determined not to let him get under her skin.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but otherwise didn't comment. Taking his silence as acceptance, Serena turned back to Andrew.

"Can I get a strawberry milkshake?"

"Sure thing," Andrew replied pleasantly, shooting Darien a quick look before turning away.

Normally, Serena would find a booth toward the back—far away from Darien—to wait in, but realizing that hiding would only contradict her words, she decided to take a seat at the counter.

A minute or two passed with the gentle tapping of her nails on the smooth surface in front of her as she waited for Andrew to return. Despite her best efforts, she could feel Darien's open stare.

_Couldn't he at least be subtle?_

Sighing with restrained annoyance, she finally acknowledged him.

"Can I help you with something?"

It was obvious that he was about to say something hurtful, but Serena couldn't help but give him her undivided attention as he ruffled his newspaper and pursed his lips in thought.

"So you managed to stay out of detention for one day? Congratulations," he remarked sarcastically.

"And what is your problem?" she demanded with a raised eyebrow.

He snorted at her, returning his gaze to his paper as if she were no more important than a spec on the counter.

"Nothing. Seems a bit premature to celebrate, don't you think?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"One day without detention surely isn't cause for celebration," he replied dismissively, making her temper rise.

She opened her mouth to respond, but her words quickly died as his gaze returned to her.

"Then again," he paused contemplatively, "I suppose this _is_ a real accomplishment for _you_."

She flinched at the tone he used when referring to her, rubbing her arm at the slight ache that had been building since she entered the arcade.

"Shut up," she mumbled, failing to speak with any amount of force.

"Touched a nerve, didn't I?" he smirked at her.

The sight of that smile finally gave her the courage she needed to really fight back.

"Shut up, Darien!" she yelled at him, earning a disappointed glance from the few people who had been enjoying the uncharacteristic silence of the pair. "You don't know _anything_."

Darien merely returned to whatever article he was reading, obviously deciding she was no longer worth his time. Serena fumed silently for a moment before leaving a highly amused Darien behind.

Andrew returned to the counter with a strawberry milkshake, glancing around at the curiously absent blonde.

"What did you do?" he asked his friend, not buying the whole innocently-reading-the-newspaper act.

Darien looked up from his paper, studiously ignoring the knowing expression on his face.

"Nothing."

"Right," Andrew sighed. "Maybe I should start making these milkshakes to-go."

ooo|o|ooo


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: This really took me longer to get out than it should have. I literally only had like 2 sentences to add and they were hardly important. Sigh. I think I love this chapter because we get a peek into Serena's brain. She kind of breaks my heart in this.**

ooo|o|ooo  
_**Sticks and Stones**_  
Chapter 4  
ooo|o|ooo

Luna's gaze moved across her charges, silently contemplating each and their transformation from normal girls into the protectors of Earth. All of the girls had proven their worth in battle and she couldn't ask for better scouts, although they could stand to be a bit more serious at times.

"Amy, Raye, Lita," she addressed each in turn before beginning. "It is time that we discussed possibly appointing a new leader to the Sailor Scouts."

Guilt could be seen in some of their faces, but there was also a sense of resignation.

…

Serena yawned, blinking her eyes tiredly as she waited for someone to answer the door. She knew Amy would be shocked to find her here at this hour, especially when she told her the reason. Sure, she was frequently up at this time, but never on the weekend. If that didn't surprise her, then Serena asking for help with her school work would definitely do it.

"_Amy's gonna flip_!" she squealed gleefully.

Even _she_ knew she was being a bit strange, but after staring at herself in the mirror and seeing all of those bruises, she kind of got to thinking. Everyone was always criticizing her for being dumb, clumsy and a crybaby, so maybe it was time she made a change in her life. She wasn't a kid anymore.

As Luna frequently pointed out, being Sailor Moon—the leader of the scouts—was her destiny.

…

"Why did you make her the leader in the first place?" Raye asked.

"Although most of my memories of the Moon Kingdom are…hazy, I do remember Sailor Moon being the leader of the Sailor Scouts. She was also the first Scout I had found and it seemed only right to appoint her as leader. However, I am beginning to question that decision. Not only has her progress seemed to remain stagnant—"

"She's a total klutz," Raye interjected.

"—but she refuses to take her duty seriously."

"I don't know," Amy said quietly. "She has seemed to improve in her tiara-throwing technique."

"Be that as it may, she doesn't exhibit the qualities of a leader."

…

Serena pursed her lips thoughtfully, thinking about where Amy could be if not home. Just as she turned around to head to the library to look for her, she felt something dig into her arm. On her arm was a brand new cut that she knew hadn't been there before.

"Where did that come from?" she wondered curiously, spinning in place to see if she had somehow unconsciously scratched herself on something.

She was standing in the middle of the sidewalk and couldn't find anything close enough for her to have unknowingly hurt herself on. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember where some of her bruises had come from either.

"Strange…" she murmured, changing direction to the temple.

Luna had been spending most of her time there lately and she figured she might have an idea about what was happening.

Serena smiled in triumph as she heard the sound of Luna's voice drifting from inside the temple. If she hadn't been here, Serena might not have been able to find her. Her head tilted in curiosity as she heard Amy's voice too.

_So that's where she was…_

Stepping quietly toward their voices, she peered in with surprise. Not only were Raye, Luna, and Amy in there, but Lita too. Had she forgotten about another Sailor Scout meeting?

"Be that as it may, she doesn't exhibit the qualities of a leader."

Serena, who was about to make her presence known, paused when she heard Luna's words. There was only one person Luna could be talking about.

"Luna's right. Having a leader that falls down all the time and wails like a baby during every fight just makes us seem like a joke."

Serena's eyes narrowed at Raye's comment. She was used to her cruel words, but somehow those had hurt and angered her more because they were being said behind her back.

"I think you're right," Lita agreed hesitantly. She liked Serena and all, but there was something to be said of her behavior as a leader.

Serena's eyes widened as Lita agreed with Raye's nasty comments and winced as something scraped her leg.

"She does put very little effort into school too," Amy admitted before steeling herself to finish what she wanted to say. "And if she can't bother to even try academically, she doesn't really have any business being the leader of the Sailor Scouts."

"Wow," Lita breathed, not used to hearing Amy speak with such honesty. The girl was usually nice to a fault.

"Way to go, Amy!" Raye cheered. Finally she wasn't the only one willing to recognize all of Serena's faults.

Meanwhile, their leader was leaning against the wall just outside, biting into her lip to stop its trembling and prevent the vocalization of her pain. It felt as if someone had twisted her arm back painfully.

Glancing one last time at her so-called friends, Serena left the temple as quietly as she could.

Stepping around a corner, Serena groaned as she came face to face with Darien. Couldn't she go one day without running into the guy?

"Hey Meatball Head," he smirked happily.

"Leave me alone, Darien," she said through gritted teeth. She needed to find somewhere to be alone before—

"What's the matter, Meatball Head? Can't think of anything clever to say?" he teased, blocking her path.

Serena felt her frustration escalate as he continued to stop her from walking around him. She didn't have time for his games and she was desperate to escape. When his antics didn't cease, she finally snapped.

"I SAID, LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed in his face, before forcefully shoving her way passed him.

Darien could only stare after her in astonishment. In all of their fights, he had never heard her scream like that or glare so harshly. But what bothered him most was what he saw behind the glare along with the tears that had slipped out.

Someone had to have really hurt Serena to make her look like that.

Despite their constant fighting, he was suddenly furious. He would find out who had hurt her and he would make them pay because even Meatball Head didn't deserve that kind of cruelty.

Darien's steps faltered as he felt the familiar tingling that signified Sailor Moon's transformation. For the first time, he considered ignoring it in favor of finding Serena, but quickly dismissed the thought. If Sailor Moon got hurt because he hadn't been there, he would never forgive himself.

Ducking into an alley for cover, Darien pulled out his signature rose and transformed into his alter-ego. He allowed his connection to Sailor Moon to lead him to her, expecting to find her amidst a battle with the Negaverse's latest energy-draining creep. Instead, he found Tokyo's greatest warrior perched atop an abandoned building, weeping silently.

Serena knew Luna wouldn't approve of her transforming into Sailor Moon when there wasn't a youma attacking, but she didn't care. There was no point in trying to please Luna anyway, since the cat had already decided that she wasn't good enough to be the leader of the Sailor Scouts anymore.

She needed Sailor Moon right now because she couldn't bear to be Serena at the moment. It was Serena who had failed, not Sailor Moon. As everyone frequently pointed out, Sailor Moon was supposed to be the champion of love and justice. Serena was too useless to be champion of anything.

She tensed as she sensed a presence behind her. For a split second, she almost hoped it was a youma, ready to finish her off.

"Sailor Moon?" a familiar male voice inquired softly, as if he didn't believe it was truly her.

She wanted to laugh at him because of course it was her. Didn't her tears make that obvious? After all, Raye was right. All she ever did was cry like a baby. She thought he should be used to it by now.

"Sometimes I wonder whether a mistake was made about me being Sailor Moon," she spoke to the sky, not turning to look at Tuxedo Mask.

He wanted to tell her she was wrong and that he couldn't imagine anyone more worthy of the title, but instead, he settled on a question.

"Why?" He sat on the ledge beside her, leaving a little space between them, so he wouldn't be crowding her.

"I'm not a very good person," she confessed, glancing at him sideways before returning her gaze to above.

"I find that hard to believe." He couldn't think of anyone more good or pure of heart than her.

"But I'm not," she argued. "I'm clumsy and flaky and I don't do well in school—"

"I'm sure that's not true," Tuxedo Mask said slowly, although he couldn't help recalling all of the times she had fallen during battle.

"You don't know me." Sailor Moon stared at him fully, waiting for her words to sink in. "If you did, you'd probably hate me too."

"I could never hate you," he spoke adamantly, lightly touching her arm. He had intended to comfort her, but his touch made her flinch. That was when he truly looked at her—windswept hair, tear-stained cheeks, arms and legs covered in cuts and bruises. She looked like she had been through hell.

"What happened?" he demanded, his tone rising with his worry and guilt. Had she been attacked before he had found her? Had he not made it in time because he was chasing after Serena?

He felt the irrational need to blame the Meatball Head for distracting him, despite knowing it wasn't really her fault. His mental berating of the other blonde ceased when he noticed Sailor Moon flinch violently.

"Are you okay?" he asked, desperately wanting to reach for her, but too afraid of only hurting her more.

Ignoring his questions about her wellbeing, she continued where their previous conversation had left off.

"I don't take school seriously. All I do is read manga, play video games, and sleep."

_And stuff my face like a pig_, she added silently.

Tuxedo Mask smiled involuntarily, thinking about how similar her supposed habits were to the Meatball Head he constantly argued with. However, he couldn't imagine Sailor Moon behaving with the same recklessly slob-like manner his yelling partner did.

Another pain in her side almost made her want to cry out, but instead, she found herself laughing. The broken and slightly choked sound reflected her restrained aguish, rather than humor.

"I'm sure if you put more effort into school, you could improve your grades," he reassured, wanting more than anything to restore her usual carefree spirit.

Although such a disposition might not be the most valuable in the battlefield, he admired her ability to find joy in life. Her upbeat attitude often reminded him of why he fought the never ending war to protect Earth.

The girl sitting beside now looked like a shattered version of her former self and it pained him to see her this way.

"But that's just it," she paused in her horrible laughter, "I don't _want_ to put the effort in."

His brows furrowed in confusion, but he remained silent, waiting for her to explain.

"The other Sailor Scouts—_everyone_—criticizes me for my terrible scores and how I waste my time goofing off rather than studying. But, you know what? I don't see the point in school."

Having spent many years studying to become a doctor, he knew school was crucial to get what you wanted in life. Listening to her claim all that time to be a waste really bothered him.

"School helps you prepare for the future—to be ready for the real world and to study to become what you want to be, so you can achieve your dreams."

Sailor Moon looked at him, trying to figure out if he really bought that. For a moment, she had wondered if he would understand her feelings on the subject, but now she knew. He was just like the other Sailor Scouts—deluded.

"I'm Sailor Moon," she reminded him needlessly. "I am the champion of love and justice. That is my destiny."

Of course he knew that, but he restrained himself from mentioning so, knowing she was probably trying to make a point.

"You talk about dreams… But the moment I became Sailor Moon for the first time, whatever dreams I might've had died with my normal life."

She sounded depressed to her own ears, but was also relieved to finally be speaking these thoughts out loud. The other Sailor Scouts frequently accused her of not taking her identity as Sailor Moon seriously, but she often wondered if they even realized what their destinies entailed.

"I won't get to achieve _anything_ because I have a destiny. One day I'm going to die because of it and it's going to be sooner rather than later."

"You aren't going to die," he said forcefully, knowing deep down she was right, but unable to accept the truth. "I won't let it happen."

Their gazes locked and she smiled softly at the emotion she saw in his—concern paired with something else. It was nice to know someone cared about her. She knew the others wouldn't let her die either, but after everything they had said, she was beginning to wonder if they even liked her, or just protected her because they were obligated to as Sailor Scouts.

"I will," she replied, continuing before he could protest. "No matter how hard you or anyone else tries, I'm going to die young. It's part of the job description," she joked, glassy-eyed.

Tuxedo Mask didn't laugh.

She took a deep breath, willing her tears not to fall. She had come to this conclusion long ago, although the rest of the Sailor Scouts hadn't seemed to.

"So no, I don't see the point of school. Not when I'm never going to be anything but what I am now," she sighed, looking back up at the sky once more.

"I read manga because for one brief moment, I can lose myself in the story. I can pretend I'm just a normal girl enjoying a comic and not think about how I might die the next time a youma attacks," she explained, finding it easier to talk without seeing his face.

She didn't really know why she was telling him all of this, especially since he could actually turn out to be an enemy—although she really didn't think so—just that she was tired of keeping it in. Besides, if she tried to confess these feelings to the others, they would think her a joke. All they see her as is a child, mindlessly following her hungers, whether they are of the food variety, or not.

Before Tuxedo Mask could comment, they were interrupted by a familiar sound that made Sailor Moon cringe.

Sailor Moon sighed at the telltale ring of her communicator. She had a pretty good idea why they were calling. They had obviously reached an agreement and were ready to take her leadership away.

"I'd better get going," she sighed again, reluctant to have the impending conversation with the others, but resigned.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, nodding his head at the communicator that hadn't stopped ringing.

"Nothing you need to worry about," she replied evenly.

When she moved toward the building's edge again, he stopped her.

"Wait! What about all of this?' he gestured at her, referring to their less than light conversation.

Sailor Moon simply stared at him for a moment, contemplating her next choice of words.

"Just forget I said anything, okay?"

"Just forget?" he repeated in disbelief. "I don't think I can..."

"Look...it's fine. _I'm fine_. I was just...whining," she explained quietly, although they both knew she was lying.

Tuxedo Mask gaped at her, incredulous at the way she was trying to downplay her feelings.

"No. You're not—"

"Don't worry," she cut him off gently before finally jumping off the edge.

ooo|o|ooo


	5. Chapter 5

ooo|o|ooo  
_**Sticks and Stones**_  
Chapter 5  
ooo|o|ooo

"Serena!" Luna's voice pierced through the air, making Sailor Moon cringe. "Where have you been?"

"I was taking a walk in the park," she lied, unwilling to speak of her conversation with Tuxedo Mask.

"In your Sailor Scout form!" Luna shrieked with disapproval. "Use of your broach is only for emergencies! Not for taking walks in the park where anyone could be watching!"

She restrained herself from pointing out that if anyone did discover her identity, it would be from Luna's habit of screaming her civilian name and not her misuse of Scout gear.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Luna continued, obviously expecting something.

Sailor Moon knew Luna wanted an apology, but she just couldn't bring herself to deliver it. Not after what she had witnessed at the temple earlier and certainly not while knowing why Luna was calling her now.

"Is there a youma attacking?" she asked instead, despite knowing the answer.

"Well, no..." Luna hesitated, confirming Sailor Moon's suspicions. "Wait! Don't change the subject! And don't think we won't be discussing this during the Scout meeting tonight. Honestly, Serena, how can you—"

"Scout meeting?" Sailor Moon questioned, cutting off Luna's tirade.

"Uh...yes. That was actually why I was calling. I wanted to inform you that there will be a Scout meeting tonight at—"

"The temple. Got it," Sailor Moon once again cut in as she slipped into an alley to de-transform.

Luna paused after Sailor Moon's interruption before continuing.

"Yes, actually... How did you—"

"Luna, I've got to go. I'll see you tonight."

Sailor Moon hung up on the feline, almost wanting to smirk at the expression on Luna's face. She didn't think anyone had ever dismissed Luna like that and was kind of proud that she had been the first.

She groaned as the ribbons unwound, leaning against one of the walls for support. While in her Scout form, her cuts and bruises had seemed to hurt less, but now that she was back in civilian form, she couldn't rely on her superhuman tolerance for pain.

Limping down the street, her panted breath was all she could hear as her body throbbed. The pain was only getting worse as new injuries showed up every day. At first, she had attributed them to her own clumsiness, but now, she knew that wasn't it.

She remembered the pain of listening to her friends degrade her and although a great deal of it had been emotional, it had actually begun to manifest physically.

That youma had done something to her—of that, she was certain. The marks had started showing up the very next day and although they had started out as minor injuries, she knew that even _she _wasn't that clumsy.

She also remembered that fight she had with Darien in the arcade and how he had denied touching her, when she was sure she had felt something. In fact, much of the pain seemed to come when she was around Darien.

A sudden thought struck her, causing her to pause, as everything began to fall together.

The pain only came when someone was being mean or insulting her, so maybe, that was what was causing it?

She frowned at the idea, remembering that some of the cuts and bruises had appeared while she was alone, and realization finally dawned on her.

"They really hate me," she whispered aloud in horrified wonder.

She resumed walking after a few moments of quiet despair and slid into another alley. Retrieving the Luna Pen from her subspace pocket, she asked for it turn her into a healthy and happy version of herself.

The transformation did little to lift her spirits, although she was pleased to see that her cuts and bruises were no longer visible. She could still _feel_ them, but that didn't really matter.

She just had the overwhelming urge to hide, unwilling to let the others see what their cruel—and most likely true—words had done to her.

She wondered if the glamour would hold when they took away her leadership duties, too.

...

"What is taking that Meatball Head so long!" Serena heard Raye complain from within the temple. The girl's shriek was loud enough to wake the dead.

"I don't—Serena! Where have you been!" Luna demanded upon first sight of her standing in the doorway.

"Sorry," Serena mumbled, hoping she would be able to make it through this without breaking down.

"As you should be for making us wait!" Raye proclaimed with an indignant sniff.

"Hi, Serena," Amy chimed in quietly, but didn't look at her. Lita's greeting wasn't much better.

"I brought some muffins," Lita added with a small smile that was decidedly off.

"No thanks—" Serena began to decline, before she was quickly cut off by a snarky remark from Raye.

"Like she needs it," Raye scoffed.

Lita frowned at this, but pushed the plate of muffins closer.

"Nonsense. Have one if you want, Serena."

Serena stared at the muffins for a moment, but couldn't summon an appetite for what would probably be a delicious treat at any other time. As for right now though, she just felt sick. Not to mention that the subtle blows she had felt to her stomach from Raye's comments were difficult enough to hide without adding food to the mix.

"No, really. I'm fine," she assured.

The collectively shocked faces glanced at one another, but didn't comment this time. Serena could feel something sharp digging into the inside of her arm though, alerting her to the less than complimentary thoughts.

She wondered which one it was coming from. Before today, she would've said Raye, but now?

It could be any of them.

"Well, now that Serena is here, it is time that we started the meeting," Luna announced.

A foreboding silence fell upon the girls, some unsure how to approach this conversation, while others were just waiting for them to get it over with. Serena knew what they wanted, but if they were going to demote her, she wasn't going to make it easier for them.

Although admittedly, after what she had heard earlier, she didn't think it would be too difficult for them.

"It has come to my attention that...perhaps the way in which you..._orient_ yourselves as Sailor Scouts needs to be changed," Luna spoke slowly, obviously having trouble finding the words.

It came as no surprise when Raye cut in. Despite being a priestess, she has never really been known for her patience.

"Luna, you're making this harder than it has to be," she interjected. "_It's simple._ Sailor Moon shouldn't be the leader anymore."

It took everything Serena had not to flinch at the pain stabbing in her back. She almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

"Serena," Luna began softly, "I am sorry it has come to this, but due to your lack of...ambition, I feel it would be better to appoint one of the other girls as leader."

"The rest of you feel the same way?" Serena inquired needlessly, already know the answer.

She gazed around the room, staring each one of them down until they averted their eyes. She could feel it, their agreement with Luna as five separate stings in her back.

"Right. So, am I still a Scout? Or...?" she asked as calmly as she could manage.

Fortunately, the physical pain worked well to distract her from the rest.

"Yes..." Luna replied, bewildered at the quiet girl standing before her, so very different from the Serena they knew. "Only the leadership is being changed...to Raye."

"Alright. Well, if that's it... I'm gonna go."

The girls were so shocked by Serena's attitude—they had been expecting her to wail endlessly—that Serena almost made it out the door before anyone spoke.

"Stop."

The command rang out and Serena sighed as she turned to look back at their _new _leader.

"Have a seat, Serena. We still have other Sailor Scout business to attend to." Raye gave her a hard stare, daring Serena to defy her.

Serena turned back around, dismissing the command as she quickly left the temple. She heard Luna calling her name, but didn't acknowledge it.

ooo|o|ooo


End file.
